How to learn tables 2 to 20 fast: 8 tricks that make it easy
Tables are the one thing every Indian parent remembers chanting in school — and the one thing many children still find hard. The secret is that your child does not need to memorise 100 separate facts for tables 1–10. With the right order and a few tricks, there are only about 15 truly “hard” facts left.
On this page
1. The best order to learn tables
Don’t go 2, 3, 4, 5… in order. Learn the easy ones first, because each one makes the next one easier:
- 10, 2, 5 — patterns children can already see (ends in 0; doubles; ends in 0 or 5).
- 11 and 9 — each has a trick (below).
- 4 and 8 — doubling the 2 table, then doubling again.
- 3 and 6 — the 6 table is double the 3 table.
- 7 — last, because by now most of it is already known.
2. Eight tricks that cut the work
- Turn it around. 3 × 8 is the same as 8 × 3. Learning this halves the number of facts.
- ×2 is double. 7 × 2 = 7 + 7.
- ×4 is double double. 7 × 4 → 14 → 28.
- ×8 is double three times. 7 × 8 → 14 → 28 → 56.
- ×5 is half of ×10. 7 × 5 → 70 ÷ 2 = 35.
- ×9 on the fingers. Hold up ten fingers. For 9 × 4, bend the 4th finger. 3 fingers before it, 6 after: 36. The 9 table also has a pattern: 09, 18, 27, 36… tens go up by one, ones go down by one, and the digits always add to 9.
- ×6 is ×5 plus one more. 6 × 7 = 35 + 7 = 42.
- ×11 (up to 9) is the digit twice. 11 × 7 = 77.
3. The 15 hard facts
After the tricks above, these are the facts most children still have to simply learn. Write them on a card and practise just these:
3×3, 3×4, 3×6, 3×7, 3×8, 4×4, 4×6, 4×7, 6×6, 6×7, 6×8, 7×7, 7×8, 8×8, 4×8
Helpful rhymes: “5, 6, 7, 8 → 56 = 7 × 8”, and “6 × 8 = 48 is great”.
Our book has tables 2–20 charts, fill-the-table pages, a 10×10 grid and timed drills for tables 2–5 and 6–10. See the Mental Maths & Vedic Tricks Book (Class 1-5) →4. Tables 11 to 20
Many schools ask for tables up to 20 by Class 4 or 5. The easy way: ×10, then add the extra. 14 × 7 = 10 × 7 + 4 × 7 = 70 + 28 = 98. So once 1–10 are solid, 11–20 are just one addition.
| Table | ×1 to ×10 |
|---|---|
| 11 | 11, 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88, 99, 110 |
| 12 | 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96, 108, 120 |
| 13 | 13, 26, 39, 52, 65, 78, 91, 104, 117, 130 |
| 14 | 14, 28, 42, 56, 70, 84, 98, 112, 126, 140 |
| 15 | 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105, 120, 135, 150 |
| 16 | 16, 32, 48, 64, 80, 96, 112, 128, 144, 160 |
| 17 | 17, 34, 51, 68, 85, 102, 119, 136, 153, 170 |
| 18 | 18, 36, 54, 72, 90, 108, 126, 144, 162, 180 |
| 19 | 19, 38, 57, 76, 95, 114, 133, 152, 171, 190 |
| 20 | 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, 200 |
5. Games that help
- Table cricket: each correct answer is a run, a wrong one is out. 10 balls an over.
- Dice multiply: roll two dice, multiply. First to 100 points wins.
- Card flip: flip two playing cards (A = 1, J/Q/K = 10) and say the product.
- Skip-count jumping: jump on the spot while counting in 3s, 4s or 7s.
- Colour by answer: a picture grid where each square’s product tells you the colour.
6. A 4-week plan
| Week | Tables | Daily (10 min) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2, 5, 10, 11 | Chant one table, fill one blank table, 5-minute game |
| 2 | 4, 8, 9 | Doubling and finger trick, then quick-fire questions |
| 3 | 3, 6 | Practise the 15 hard facts card |
| 4 | 7 + mixed | A timed drill every other day; write down the score |
Questions parents ask
How can a child learn tables quickly?
Learn them in an easy order (10, 2, 5, 11, 9, 4, 8, 3, 6, 7), use tricks such as doubling and the 9 finger trick, and practise for 10 minutes every day.
Up to which table should a Class 3 child know?
Most schools expect tables up to 10 by the end of Class 3, and up to 12, 15 or 20 by Class 4–5. Check your child’s syllabus.
What is the trick for the 9 times table?
Bend the finger matching the number you multiply by. Fingers before the bent one are the tens, fingers after it are the ones: 9 × 4 = 36.
How do I learn tables 11 to 20?
Multiply by 10, then add the extra: 16 × 7 = 70 + 42 = 112. Once tables 1–10 are strong, tables up to 20 are just one addition.
Mental Maths & Vedic Tricks Book (Class 1–5)
71 printable pages · Class 1 to 5
- 20 speed tricks incl. Vedic maths, one per page
- Tables 2–20, 6 timed drills, fractions, money, time
- 760+ sums, puzzles and a full answer key
Print as many times as you like · Buy any 2 packs together and get 10% off